Cleaning gutters and downspouts out is crucial to protect your house's foundation. To find out how you can do it yourself, keep reading this post by Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services in St Croix Falls.

Regardless of your house size, height, or roof width, chances are it needs a clean, clog-free gutter system to keep its foundation safe and free from water issues. For starters, when water from rain or melting snow splashes around your house, it soaks the ground. When it gets absorbed, it saturates the soil, swelling it beneath your home's foundation; needless to say; this can lead to some issues, such as wall cracks, basement flooding, or erosion. Fortunately, the best way to deal with this problem is something as simple as cleaning gutters and downspouts; to that end, this post by Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services has put together a step-by-step guide to do it.

But First, Ensure Safety With These Tips

Cleaning your home's gutter system comes with its fair share of risk; however, you can mitigate the dangers of this maintenance task by following the following advice:

• Ensure to don protective gear for this task, such as anti-slip outsole boots to climb the ladder's rungs smoothly, goggles to maintain good visibility, a hat to protect you from the sun, and gloves.
• If your house is tall, ask for help from a friend, neighbor, or family member to help you out supervising the ladder's base while you go up.
• Don't attempt to clean beyond your extended arms' reach; doing so could lead you to lose stability and fall. Instead, move the ladder as much as you need.

Turn to the professionals at Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services if your home is in need of the best cleaning and restoration services in St Croix Falls. Since they offer 24/7 services, contact them whenever you have an emergency by calling 888-436-3499.

Cleaning Gutters And Downspouts Step-By-Step

Get Necessary Tools and Equipment

Gathering the right tools and supplies is the first step to clear your gutters and downspouts out smoothly. To that end, here's what you'll need:

• Ladder
• Bucket
• Garden hose
• Gutter scoop
• Spray Nozzle
• Leaf blower
• Drill
• Gutter hardware

Remove Debris

First of all, you must remove leaves, twigs, spiderwebs, and any other debris building up and clogging the gutter's corners, drop outlets, and overall sections. To that end, you must carefully scoop the dirt out by following these steps:

1. Make sure to protect your hands from bugs and spiny branches by donning your protective gloves.
2. Place the ladder at one of the outside corners of your house.
3. Hook the bucket's handle wire to the ladder, and keep the gutter scoop inside.
4. Climb the ladder carefully.
5. Scoop the debris out and throw it into the bucket.
6. As stated before, you shouldn't overextend your reach; instead, prioritize your safety and move the ladder as much as needed to reach all the gutter's sections.

Hose The Gutters

Once the gutters are free from built-up leaves and dirt, wash them thoroughly. To do so, connect your spray nozzle to the hose; then, flush the gutters and let the water run towards the downspouts. At this point, you must ensure the flushed water is flowing down through the downspouts smoothly; so, if you notice it isn't coming out properly, it might be a sign of a clogged downspout.

Don't let water damage threaten the most important investment of your life. Call Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services at 888-436-3499 to speak with a knowledgeable technician about the best cleaning and restoration services in St Croix Falls.

Fix Clogged Downspouts

If you have a clogged downspout, make sure to fix it by using a leaf blower. To make that happen, place the blower tube inside the downspout and let it blow for a while, so the compact debris clogged inside loosens up. You can also use your water hose for this task; to that end, place the hosepipe inside the downspout as high as possible to unclog it with water pressure. After ensuring the system is free from clogs, flush the gutters again to determine if the drainage is fixed. If the water is flowing correctly, let the whole system rinse for a couple of minutes to loosen up any remaining dirt.

Finally, Look For Standing Water

Finally, it would help if you searched for standing water on your gutters. If you find puddles, that means your gutters are not sloped correctly. Given that possibility, it's worth mentioning that a properly installed gutter system must have slopes to send water towards the downspouts. Hence, you must fix gutter sections with stagnant water by following these final steps:

1. Detach your gutter's brackets with a drill.
2. Keep in mind the proper angle to ensure a smooth water flow is possible by placing the gutter with a slope of a quarter inch for every 10 feet towards the downspout.
3. Place the gutter back and do a water test to make sure the flow is smooth.
4. If the water is running properly towards the downspout, screw all the gutter's brackets back.

Along with learning about the importance of cleaning gutters and downspouts to keep your house foundation safe, learn about the best cleaning and restoration services in St Croix Falls. To that end, call Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services at 888-436-3499.